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Germany train attacker had no direct Islamic State connections

BERLIN — A teenager who attacked passengers with an ax on a German commuter train seems to have acted alone and had no direct connections to the Islamic State, Germany’s top law enforcement official said Wednesday, despite the fact that he pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State in a Pashto-language video the militant group released hours after the attack.

The 17-year-old, who applied for asylum as an Afghan refugee earlier this year, used an ax and knife to injure five people, two of them seriously, late Monday before he was shot dead by authorities.

Although Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said investigators found no evidence the group directed the violence. ‘‘A lot indicates that it was an attack by an individual perpetrator, who had been incited by the propaganda of the Islamic State,’’ he said. ‘‘Perhaps it’s a case in the border area between rampage and terror.’’

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The attack has fueled the debate about whether Chancellor Angela Merkel erred by throwing open her nation’s doors to asylum seekers.

Washington Post